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Vermicompost is the product or process of composting using various worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, also called worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by an earthworm.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Paper on Invasive European Worms )〕 These castings have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than do organic materials before vermicomposting. Containing water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.〔Coyne, Kelly and Erik Knutzen. ''The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City.'' Port Townsend: Process Self Reliance Series, 2008.〕 This process of producing vermicompost is called ''vermicomposting''. ==Suitable species== One of the earthworm species most often used for composting is the Red Wiggler (''Eisenia fetida'' or ''Eisenia andrei''); ''Lumbricus rubellus'' (a.k.a. red earthworm or dilong (China)) is another breed of worm that can be used, but it does not adapt as well to the shallow compost bin as does ''Eisenia fetida''. European nightcrawlers (''Eisenia hortensis'') may also be used. Users refer to European nightcrawlers by a variety of other names, including dendrobaenas, dendras, and Belgian nightcrawlers. African Nightcrawlers (''Eudrilus eugeniae'') are another set of popular composters. ''Lumbricus terrestris'' (a.k.a. Canadian nightcrawlers (US) or common earthworm (UK)) are not recommended, as they burrow deeper than most compost bins can accommodate.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Composting with earthworms )〕 Blueworms (''Perionyx excavatus'') may be used in the tropics.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Composting Worms for Hawaii )〕 These species commonly are found in organic-rich soils throughout Europe and North America and live in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure piles. They may be an invasive species in some areas.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Great Lakes Worm Watch )〕 As they are shallow-dwelling and feed on decomposing plant matter in the soil, they adapt easily to living on food or plant waste in the confines of a worm bin. Composting worms are available to order online, from nursery mail-order suppliers or angling shops where they are sold as bait. They can also be collected from compost and manure piles. These species are not the same worms that are found in ordinary soil or on pavement when the soil is flooded by water. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vermicompost」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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